Wild by Design

Native Milkweed Species for your area to become a Monarch Waystation and join the Waystation Program

When planning the restoration of large areas, it is important to plant milkweeds that are native to your region of the country. This is not as crucial in a backyard or schoolyard garden; however, native plants typically require less maintenance and offer a greater benefit to local wildlife.

We (the Xerces Society) have defined four basic eco-regions for milkweeds. For each region we list milkweeds that are preferred by monarchs and relatively easy to establish in gardens and fields:

Northeast Region - common milkweed, swamp milkweed, butterfly milkweed, poke milkweed

South Central Region - antelope horn milkweed, green antelope horn milkweed, zizotes milkweed

Southeast Region - aquatic milkweed, white milkweed, butterfly milkweed

West Region - showy milkweed, antelope horn milkweed (only in NV, AZ, NM, CO, ID, KS, and OK)